


ya no quiero que llores

by cabinseven (caphrodite)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Argo II (Percy Jackson), Canon Compliant, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Post-The Mark of Athena, Pre-The House of Hades, Sad with a Happy Ending, idk its not really sad but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 16:50:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caphrodite/pseuds/cabinseven
Summary: After Annabeth and Percy's fall into Tartarus, Jason and Leo accidentally stay up the night talking.





	ya no quiero que llores

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LavenderHoney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderHoney/gifts).



> um, i most definitely _have_ written happy ending valgrace fics but i tried again for you so here you go. there was someone else who mentioned this months ago (maybe even last year), but because it's been too long ago and the comments are lost in the abyss of my inbox of saved messages. sorry i'm disorganized:')
> 
> i'm frustratingly getting away from human AU's, and going back to canon because i desperately need to reread the books. is this a good change? you guys tell me. 
> 
> anyway, dedicated to such a sweet person!!!! ugh how did someone like you end up liking this trashcan writer's writing??? c r a z y. (and you're lucky you're not an anon, otherwise i wouldn't be able to officially gift this!!!)
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> [song title: _A Letter To My Younger Self_ by Ambar Lucid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEbVLJl3is)  
> 

“Do you miss camp?” Jason asks one night.

Leo’s surprised by the question but goes with the spark in conversation. He had snuck down to the mess hall, late at night, in hopes of grabbing a snack when no one was around. He had settled in a seat, working on plans to use the Archimedes spheres for new Argo upgrades. A few minutes later, Jason had stumbled in with a cup of milk and sat next to Leo in silence. They hadn’t said a word in who knows how long until Jason finally spoke.

Leo shrugs. “Dunno, maybe? We were only there for a few months, but it was cool.”

“Yeah,” Jason says. He gazes longingly at the live-streaming images of Camp Half-Blood. The campers are silently crooning along to camp songs in the sleepy night, as their image flickers at the corner of the doorway leading into the hallway. “It was definitely fun. I can’t remember anything quite like it.”

“Mhm,” Leo mumbles through his cookie. His pen rolls off his notebook and hits the table with a noticeably loud _PLUNK!_ “When we’re done with this whole prophecy thing, I’ll probably go back. My cabin’s really cool when you get to know them.”

Perhaps that wasn’t the best thing to mention, because Jason doesn’t exactly _have_ a cabin to go back to. Jason takes one of Leo’s cookies. “That’s good. It’s better than Wilderness, right?”

“Dude,” Leo deadpans, “everything is better than Wilderness.”

Jason snorts and turns to peer at Leo’s notebook. “Whatcha working on? Something too complicated and Vulcan for me to understand?”

“Naturally,” Leo says. “I can’t tell what’s better- some new cannons or re-enforcing the mast. Can you believe I had to fix that thing _three_ times, already? Ridiculous!”

“You’ve mentioned it once or twice,” Jason recalls. “Maybe you should add new cannons- we _are_ a traveling Buffett For Monsters.”

“Yummy.”

Jason laughs, standing up. He paces around the room, carefully observing the walls that display the Long Island-based camp. Furies flap around trying to find some of the sneaky campers who were running around near the back of the Hermes’ cabin. There’s the tell-tale light at the Big House, where the shadow of Chiron sits on the porch, peacefully reading a newspaper.

Leo hasn’t been at the place for very long, but the sight of it makes him feel slightly homesick. Even when he _was_ there, Leo hadn’t left the Bunker or the company of his cabin for very often (building his dream warship was a _very_ long process) but he still felt some sort of connection with the place. It was the closest thing he’s had to a home or a family in a long time.

“Do you think they’ll take me back?” Jason says. “I _know_ I’m Roman and all, but I really liked being at Camp Half-Blood.”

“You? Duh. You’re like that one crazy foreign exchange student,” Leo pauses because that’s what Jason actually _was_. “Besides, the Aphrodite cabin would probably murder me if I came back without you.”

Jason shudders. “They’re not _that_ bad, but some of them are… threatening?”

“You’re preaching to the choir, bud,” Leo leans back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. “Tried to talk to this girl once, and she said she would rather eat pegasi babies then go out with me. Those kids are _brutal_.”

“She really said that?” Jason winces. “Yikes, Leo.”

“Nah, I’m just messing with you.” Leo chomps on another cookie. “But she did say something about having a pegasus kick me where it hurts if you get my drift.”

“Oh gods,” Jason tries to cover up his chuckle. “Sorry, that’s not funny.”

“It’s whatever,” Leo shrugs again. He closes his notebook and swipes away his crumbs. He hits a button on the Archimedes sphere on the table, and soft music starts to play. The sphere glows a subdued blue. “Hey, why are you up so late, anyway?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Jason stares at the row of cabins along the wall. His eyes flicker from his own cabin to the empty Poseidon cabin nearby. Jason’s hands twist in the inside of his sweatshirt pockets. “Kept thinking about Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus.”

Leo gets that. It’s been a few days since the event, and there’s been a sort of gloomy mood shrouding those on the Argo. Leo knows it’s his fault why they’re down there, so he’s been rushing back and forth to make the Argo run smoother and feel more comforting for his crewmates. If he hadn’t have cracked open that _stupid_ fortune cookie-

No. He really shouldn’t be thinking like that. Nico’s reassured all of them plenty of times that Annabeth and Percy aren’t dead. Leo’s only job should be to make the quest easier for the others. Even if it's because he feels an overwhelming sense of guilt.

“They’ll figure it out,” Leo whispers. When Jason’s head turns to him, Leo clears his throat and raises his voice: “They’ll be fine. Annabeth’s got a good head on her shoulders, and Percy’s a good fighter. And haven’t they practically been through hell together before?”

Jason smiles sadly. “You’re oddly optimistic.”

Leo bristles at the comment, “What- can’t have faith in my friends? Besides, _someone’s_ got to be the one to make sure you guys aren’t into much of a funk to continue. Imagine what Annabeth would say if we never finished the prophecy.”

He doesn’t tell Jason about the sleepless nights he’s had, rolling around in his bunk, thinking about how doomed they are. Leo’s only _just_ been told he’s a demigod and has a family. He doesn’t know how to save the world- unlike the other two missing members who have done so _multiple_ times. They’re completely and utterly screwed.

Fortunately, his words seem to make Jason feel better. The blond returns back to Leo’s side at the table. “You called them your friends.”

“So?” Leo’s accusatory tone cannot be missed. “What about it?”

“For as long as I’ve known you-”

“-Which is only a few months,” Leo cuts in, bitter. Sometimes he wishes he can go back to Wilderness with his best friend Jason, and ignore all this crazy demigod crap.

“-which is long enough,” Jason continues humorously, “you take a long time to warm up to people.” The music that had been playing, switches to a more upbeat song.

“I do _not_.” Leo’s offended.

“It took you _forever_ to trust me,” Jason pulls Leo out of his chair. With a second thought, he adds, “trust me _again._ ” He dances to the song, moving a reluctant Leo with his arms.

“I trust you,” Leo says before he’s whirled around. “What are we doing?”

“Dancing, I think.” Jason shrugs. “I really want to pretend everything is fine right now. And it totally took you a long time to trust me. I mean, _really_ trust me.”

Leo lets himself be twirled and tilted. “You’re my best friend. How could I _not_ trust you?”

“Yeah,” Jason smiles at him. “I know. But when we first met- _really_ first met, it took an entire quest for us to get to that point.”

“Oh,” Leo bites his lip. He _had_ been originally upset to find out Jason truthfully had no memories of him. But the last few months have gone by so quickly, and he’s been in so many life or death situations, that perhaps he _has_ grown to trust Jason. As a _real_ best friend, this time.

“I understand,” Jason reassures him. His smile falls off his face. “Sometimes I think… erm, _those two_ still didn’t trust me before they fell.”

“ _Don’t_ trust you,” Leo corrects. “Don’t act like they’re dead and they won’t be.”

“Right,” Jason nods slowly. The song ends until a slower one turns on. Jason still looks sad, so Leo gets rid of his pride, and bends in an awkward bow in front of Jason. He’s only really doing this to keep Jason from moping the rest of the night.

Leo lifts his head to Jason. “May I have this dance?”

Jason tries to hide his smile but fails miserably. “Why not?”

They stumble around the mess hall with bad shuffling and awkward steps. Jason bumps Leo into a chair several times, and Leo responds by stepping on his foot. It starts a foot stepping war between them, until they’re both worn out, and simply begin to sway softly.

“Oh man,” Leo suddenly cringes. His hands are on Jason’s shoulders. “This is giving me some _major_ flashbacks.”

“What’s wrong?”

Leo groans, rolling his eyes as he tries to explain. “Last year, Wilderness had a Winter Dance and because you and Piper were dancing together, I ended up dancing with freaking _Molly the Pits_.”

Jason tosses his head back and laughs. “Molly the _Pits?_ ”

“Yeah,” Leo scowls. “She was this girl who never wore deodorant so she always smelled like sweaty pits. She was actually really nice, but she _stank_ so much. I remember when she raised her hand in class during a heatwave, and the teacher sent her out of the room.”

Both of them look at each other, before dissolving into laughter. Jason wipes at his eyes, before returning his hand back to Leo’s waist. “That’s awful. I would hate to be her.”

“Eh,” Leo hums, reminiscing over that night. “She was really cool. After the dance, we snuck back to her room, where she had smuggled in a bunch of fireworks. Then we like, made out and set them off in the woods. Which is a _terrible_ idea, by the way. ”

“Wow,” Jason says. “And all _I_ did was offer you a dance in our pajamas.”

“Yeah, she was a _much_ better date than you,” Leo grins.

Jason mocks being offended. “Is that a challenge?”

Before Leo can say something, his feet drifted from the floor. His bare toes wiggled for the feeling of wood but instead found nothing but air. They were only as high as the table, but Jason holds him tighter just in case. “Can Molly the Pits do this?”

Leo laughs because Jason is _such_ a dork. “No, I don’t think she can.”

Jason spins them around the room, the two of them making a game of who can kick as many things most. Leo’s not sure when he’s laughed this much- jeez, even from _before_ Percy and Annabeth falling, he’s never had this much fun. It seems like all he’s been doing is run around for repairs and going through the endless rollercoaster drama between the love triangle Frank, Hazel and himself.

“This was fun,” Jason says after they’ve settled down, both floating above the table. Leo lazily reaches down to grab one of his abandoned cookies. “I really needed this.”

“Me too,” Leo admits. He has to stay touching with Jason in order to stay afloat, so Jason’s arm is looped with his. “I guess even Roman Jason’s pretty cool too.”

“Hey,” Jason pulls him closer, only to pinch Leo’s shoulder. “I take _much_ offense to that.”

“Heh,” Leo rolls away. For a second, his arm lets go of Jason’s, and he nearly falls, but Jason quickly grabs him close. Leo stares up at Jason, who stares down.

Behind Jason, and on the ceiling, is the live streaming of the night sky over at Camp Half-Blood. The stars twinkle brightly in glorious HD, while the rest of the camp is quiet. A quick look at the clock is shocking- it’s early morning in Rome, nearing 7 AM. Frank normally wakes up first, in about an hour or so, and the thought is mind-boggling. Had he really spent all night with Jason?

“Leo?” Jason says, voice low.

“Yeah?” Leo looks up at him. Jason licks his lips and breathes out.

“Do you trust me?”

Leo suddenly has a lot of saliva in his mouth. He swallows. “Yes.”

Jason lowers his head. He kisses Leo hesitantly, lips pressed softly against Leo’s. Leo kisses back, surprising himself when his fingers slide through Jason’s short hair. The taste of milk and snickerdoodle cookies come back to him.

“What about Piper?” Leo has to say, as he pulls away.

Jason kisses him again. “I love her, but in a different way. We completely trust each other, but not as a boyfriend-girlfriend sort of thing.” Leo’s satisfied with that, kissing back.

“Leo,” Jason pulls back, resting his forehead on Leo’s, with his eyes closed. “If you fell in Tartarus, I would’ve jumped right after you.”

Leo feels his heartbeat quicken. “You would?”

“Yeah,” Jason says, head slipping in the crook of Leo’s neck. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“I-” Leo stops when he feels wet against his skin. He peels away from Jason, holding onto his arm. “Don’t cry, man. I’m here, right? And Annabeth and Percy are fine too.”

Jason nods. “Yeah, I know. It’s just scary to think about this stuff now. In SPQR, they train you to keep your feelings out of the battle, but I don’t know if I can do that anymore. If any of us die, I’d be terrified.”

“You’ll be fine,” Leo reassures him. Jason’s fingers slide in between Leo’s. “Why do you think I’m stressed out over the ship? If I can just get the Argo to be perfect then you guys will be fine. But I keep messing up, and now those two are in literal hell because of me.”

Jason looks at Leo strangely. “No one thinks that, Leo. We know how hard you work.”

Jason could say it, but it doesn’t mean anything to Leo. He _knows_ what he did. And he’s going to find _some_ way to fix it. He would do anything if it meant his friends will be fine- they _deserve_ it. They deserve being able to walk away from this mess and being happy.

“We’ll figure it out,” Leo says. “So it’ll all be fine.”

“Okay,” Jason says. They drift back to the table, softly falling on the tabletop. Leo’s foot brushes against cookie crumbs. Jason kisses Leo’s cheek, giving Leo a final smile. “I trust you.”

“Everything will be okay,” Leo assures both Jason and himself. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Jason leaves after that, in hopes of getting some sort of sleep before he properly has to wake up. Leo throws his plate into the sink and settles again in his chair at the table. The Archimedes sphere has long stopped playing music or glowing and sits lifelessly on the table.

His discarded notebook gets opened to a new page. From there, he’ll start making new plans. Leo gets found an hour later by a confused Frank, half-asleep and mumbling about the prophecy.

Even while he's being carried to his bunk, the barely-awake Leo knew what he had to do. He doesn’t care how or when- but he _will_ protect his friends.

No matter what it takes. He owes them that much.

**Author's Note:**

> "If any of us die, I’d be terrified."  
>  ~~lmao it's funny because jason's the only one to really die out of the seven abhasaduksks~~ okay, it's kind of not a happy ending, when you remember leo's idea of "making things right" in BoO... maybe you're right... i can't write truly happy endings anymore XD
> 
> in other news, my next fic on ao3 will be my 50th (i would've passed it a while back, but i, uh, deleted and orphaned some fics that i'd rather not talk about)!!!! can you believe it's been this long? with the addition of this fic, i reached 30 valgrace fics??? accomplishment. :) my first valgrace fic had been posted when there was only, maybe 80 fics for them? and now we're over 200!!!
> 
> school is picking up, frustratingly fast, and clubs are going to be starting too, so i don't know when or what my 50th fic will be. as for now, enjoy yourself and have a good day!!!! :)


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